Resident Evil Play Order – What Order Should I Play the RE Series In?

With 11 core games and 10+ side stories, figuring out the play order of the Resident Evil series can be a chore. Additionally, several games in the series have been remade, and some have multiple variations all with their own quirks. Below we’ll give our recommendation for what order you should play the Resident Evil games in, and which versions of each are the best.

What Order Should I Play the Resident Evil Games In?: The Essentials

If you’re just looking to get the core experience of the Resident Evil series you only need to play 8 of the 21 available games. These eight games comprise the majority of the series’ lore, and all of the side games stem from them in some way.

If you’re wanting to get the core Resident Evil experience you should play in this order:

Note that this is a strict chronological order except for the placement of Resident Evil 0. RE0 does take place before all the other games, but it’s not the best introduction to Resident Evil. The gameplay is similar to the first four titles in the series, but is different enough to be intimidating to newcomers. It’s one of the hardest of the classic-style entries, and the partner system and lack of item boxes are something that should be approached after you finish a few of the games. Furthermore, there are story elements in RE0 that can only really be appreciated once you’ve gotten knowledge contained in RE1, 2, and 3.

For the rest of the games, just play them in chronological order. RE0 is the only oddball in the series timeline, and the rest of the games just build on what was in the ones before it. It’s also important to play the DLC bulleted under some of the games. Resident Evil 7 in particular has quite a bit of DLC that wraps up some of the loose ends from the main story, and gives the game a more proper conclusion.

What Order Should I Play the Resident Evil Games In to Get Ready for Resident Evil 2 Remake?

Resident Evil Play Order - What Order Should I Play the RE Series In? - GameRevolution

So, the release of Resident Evil 2 remake has inspired you to either play the series for the first time, or maybe you just want to refresh your memory. You’re in luck. You don’t have to actually play the whole series in anticipation of RE2 remake. In fact, you just need to play one game: Resident Evil remake.

As stated above, Resident Evil 0 might come before Resident Evil chronologically, but it’s real-world release was several years after Resident Evil 2 came out. Obviously, the original Resident Evil 2 didn’t have any tie-ins with Resident Evil 0 since it wasn’t out yet, so it’s likely the remake will only have tangential references to it, if any. Therefore, you’re good to skip it.

You could likely make Resident Evil 2 remake your first RE game as it does a good job filling you in on what you need to know about the situation in Raccoon City. However, Resident Evil remake is a great game, and it’ll only help you to have played the first game going into RE2 remake.

What Order Should I Play the Resident Evil Games In?: The Completionist

If you want to play every single Resident Evil game available, you’re gonna need to clear your calendar. There are 21 games (plus some DLC), as well as other media, that make up the complete lore of Resident Evil. Some of these games are non-canon, but if you want to get the full, unadulterated Resident Evil experience you’ll have to play all of them.

Since these games weren’t all released in the order they appear in the Resident Evil timeline, we’ll be listing our preferred play list below. These go in rough chronological order, though some games (especially the Chronicles spin-offs) take place over multiple time periods. Our list notates each game, whether or not it’s canon, and which platform we suggest you play it on for the best experience as well as any side content that contains series lore. The CGI movies (not the live-action ones) will be added to the list as well, as they are canon and fill in some details between the events in the games. We’ll also insert where the canon manga belong as well as the singular (Japanese-only) canon novel.

Resident Evil 0 (PC)

Resident Evil Remake (PC)

[Novel] BIO HAZARD The Wicked North Sea

Resident Evil 2 (GCN Version on Dolphin with HD Pack)

The 4th Survivor

The Tofu Survivor (Non-Canon)

Resident Evil 3 (PC)

Resident Evil Outbreak (PS2)

Outbreak

Below Freezing Point

The Hive

Hellfire

Decisions, Decisions

Resident Evil Outbreak File #2 (PS2)

Wild Things

Underbelly

Flashback

Desperate Times

End of the Road

Resident Evil: Operation Raccoon City (Non-Canon) (PC)

Echo Six Prologue Mission

Echo Six Expansion Pack 1

Echo Six Expansion Pack 2

Resident Evil Survivor (PSX)

Resident Evil: Code Veronica X (PS3/Xbox 360)

Resident Evil Survivor 2 Code: Veronica (Non-Canon) (PS2)

Resident Evil Gaiden (Non-Canon) (Game Boy Color)

Resident Evil: Dead Aim (PS2)

Resident Evil: Darkside Chronicles (PS3)

Resident Evil: Umbrella Chronicles (PS3)

Resident Evil 4 (PC + HD Project Mod)

Separate Ways

Resident Evil Revelations (PC)

[Movie] Resident Evil Degeneration

Resident Evil 5 (PC)

Lost in Nightmares

Desperate Escape

Resident Evil Revelations 2 (PC)

The Struggle

Little Miss

[Movie] Resident Evil Damnation

[Manga] Resident Evil: The Marhawa Desire

Resident Evil 6 (PC)

[Manga] BIOHAZARD heavenly island

[Movie] Resident Evil Vendetta

Umbrella Corps (Non-Canon) (PC)

Resident Evil 7 (PS4/PSVR)

Bedroom

21

Daughters

Not a Hero

End of Zoe

As you can see, it’s quite the undertaking to explore the full Resident Evil lore. However, by following the list above you can get an exhaustive picture of everything Resident Evil.